Scotland cannot afford for Westminster to take a hammer to its food and farming sector - at the end of the day, we all need access to affordable, nutritious food.
Scottish Government does not hold the levers of power that are required to secure the future for Scotland’s food and farming sector.
The Scottish Government can’t do anything about the decision to introduce new inheritance tax rules without consultation. That is going to load more cost and uncertainty onto many farmers, even those who don’t cross the £1 million bar.
The Scottish Government can’t do anything about Brexit - which Scotland voted against and yet was forced to accept. Coming out of the structured and multi-annual Common Agricultural Policy has proved terrible news for the farming sector. Now the Scottish Government is going to get an unpredictable annual amount from London based, not on what Scottish farmers need or what they contribute, but on the “Barnett Consequentials” of what England decides.
Only with independence can Scotland give the solid support that its agricultural sector needs to keep on producing so much that is vital to Scotland’s health and prosperity.